Blessed are todays heirs to the prophetic tradition, the Jewish prophetic tradition, the Christian prophetic tradition, the Muslim prophetic tradition, all prophetic religious traditions that connect the love of God to the love of humanity and begin with the poorest and most marginalized of humanity. I hesitate to frame the massacre in Gaza in religious terms, because it remains for me fundamentally a human catastrophe, one that is devised and executed by human beings and will have to be brought to an end by human beings. It is not about God, its about a brutal land grab, as I keep saying. Nevertheless, I recognize that many people--including myself--are motivated to act due to religious motivations. Yes that includes many Israelis who support this atrocity (around 90%, according to recent polls), and many who oppose it in Israel and beyond such as Naomi Wolf. That includes many Muslims who see the suffering of the people in Gaza, in Syria, in Iraq, in Nigeria, in Burma, and elsewhere as a moral mandate to organize, mobilize, and act up. And that includes the increasing number of Christians who are speaking out on Gaza, such as Brother West and others. There is one important insight about why I believe for those who position themselves in the prophetic tradition (of speaking truth to power, of seeing Gods presence particularly acutely among the suffering and the marginalized) in the Jewish tradition, the Christian tradition, and the Islamic tradition. It is for those of us who seek to follow in the prophetic tradition of Muhammad, of Martin Luther King, of Malcolm X, of Heschel, of Jeremiah, of Jesus, of Zaynab, of Hossein, of Ambedkar, of Amos that starting the critique at home is particularly important. Thats why it is so important that there be Jewish voices like jewishvoiceforpeace.org and Reb Arthur {https://theshalomcenter.org] who begin the critique at home, not because there are not other oppressors elsewhere in this world but precisely because the prophetic figure in Judaism always begins the critique at home. That is why for those of us who seek to follow in this tradition and who live in America, it is vital that we repeatedly and unceasingly raise our voice against American complicity in these atrocities. And thats why it is important for those of us in the Muslim community that we follow up the Quranic commandment to stand up and speak for justice by starting against our own selves, our own communities. Here is the powerful letter from Arthur Hertzberg to Elie Wisel, published more than quarter century ago. Hertzberg makes the case that while Assyria and Babylonia were far more wicked [read todays ISIS and Syria], the prophets of Judea had to begin their critique at home. Blessed are todays heirs to the prophetic tradition. Morally, Jewish tradition commands us to act justly, especially when actions seem imprudent and embarrassing, and never to be silent, even to protect Jewish unity. This Jewish morality has taken one form, recurrently, throughout the ages. Even in bad times, when Jews were under fierce attack, their moral teachers gave no exceptions. The prophets knew that Assyria and Babylonia were far more wicked than Judea, but they held Judea to account, even as the Assyrians and the Babylonians were advancing. “Only you have I known among all the nations of the world; therefore I will hold you to account for all your sins.” nybooks/articles/archives/1988/aug/18/an-open-letter-to-elie-wiesel/ #Gaza #FreePalestine #Icc4Israel #Palestine #Gazaunderattack
Posted on: Wed, 06 Aug 2014 14:29:45 +0000
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